1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sheet roller mounted to an automatic transaction machine, and more particularly, to a sheet roller which achieves compactness and thinness, and improves space usability and design freedom.
2. Description of Related Art
In general, an automatic transaction machine provides basic financial services such as a money reception/dispensing without a bank teller regardless of time and location. The automatic transaction machine is classified into a cash dispensing machine and a cash depositing/dispensing machine depending on money reception/dispensing. Recently, the automatic transaction machine has been used for multiple purposes such as a check reception/dispensing, bank book update, Giro payment, ticket dispensing, and the like, in addition to the money reception/dispensing.
Recently, the automatic transaction machine is widely used in a bank, a financial organization, and the like, and customers frequently use the automatic transaction machine due to convenience of use. In this regard, transaction amounts have been accordingly increased due to an increase of the types of uses of the automatic transaction machine. A large amount of cash is deposited and dispensed according to the increase in transaction amounts, and accordingly, undesirable problems are caused in the automatic transaction machine due to mutual movement and interference in positioning of the large amount of cash.
Cash in the automatic transaction machine is transferred for each cash unit, and the transferred cash is gathered and arranged in a money dispensing part of the automatic transaction machine to be dispensed to a user.
FIG. 1 is a side view illustrating a money dispensing part 10 of a conventional automatic transaction machine, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a conventional sheet roller.
As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the money dispensing part 10 is positioned at an outlet end of a transfer device 20, and cash discharged from the transfer device 20 are loaded on the money dispensing part 10. After a predetermined amount of cash is discharged into the money dispensing part 10, a shutter of the money dispensing part 10 (not shown) is opened so that a user can receive the cash provided for a stack unit.
The transfer device 20 includes an upper transfer section 30 defining an upper boundary of a transferring route where the cash is transferred, and a lower transfer section 40 defining a lower boundary thereof. The upper and the lower sections 30 and 40 include transfer belts 31 and 41 transferring cash while being revolved along a predetermined transfer route, transfer rollers 32 and 42 defining each transfer trace of the transfer belts 31 and 41, and rotation shafts 33 and 43 supporting the transfer rollers 32 and 42 so as to be rotated, respectively.
A sheet roller 50 is rotatably mounted adjacent to the outlet end of the transfer device 20 in order to support a bottom surface of cash discharged via the transfer device 20 and guides the cash to the money dispensing part 10. The sheet roller 50 includes a roller body 51, and a plurality of elastic sheets 53 radially formed on a circumferential surface of the roller body 51. The sheet roller 50 may be rotated between respective transfer roller 32 and 42 of the upper and the lower transfer sections 30 and 40 about a rotation shaft 43 of the lower transfer section 40 adjacent to the outlet end of the transfer device 20. In this manner, the bottom surface of the cash discharged from the transfer device 20 is supported and guided to the money dispensing part 10 by the plurality of elastic sheets 53 of the rotating sheet roller 50.
Also, each elastic sheet 53 of the sheet roller 50 is coupled with the roller body 51 by a coupling piece 52 slidingly coupled with the roller body 51. In this regard, the roller body 51 includes a plurality of coupling grooves 51a formed along a circumferential surface of the roller body 51 and formed into a shape to conform to that of the coupling piece 52, so that the coupling piece 52 is slidingly inserted into the corresponding coupling groove 51a in the axial direction of the rotation shaft 43. Each elastic sheet 53 is partially disposed between the coupling piece 52 and the coupling groove 51a so as to be mounted to the roller body 51, and selectively separated from the roller body 51 together with the coupling piece 52.
However, the conventional sheet roller 50 described above has a problem in that it has a limitation in reducing thickness of the roller sheet while maintaining a predetermined shape and strength thereof. Specifically, the conventional sheet roller 50 is required to be formed to have a predetermined thickness T1 in order to permit the roller body 51 of the sheet roller 50 to have a predetermined shape and strength thereof. Also, the roller body 51 is required to ensure a predetermined thickness T2 in order to permit the coupling groove 51a to be formed on the roller body 51 to be slidingly coupled with the coupling piece 52. As a result, there occurs a problem in that a thickness of the roller body 51 is inevitably increased by a depth of the coupling groove 51a. 
Also, the automatic transaction machine is required to ensure a predetermined space where the sheet roller 50, which must be formed to have a relatively greater thickness than a predetermined thickness, is mounted, and thus, deteriorating space usability and design freedom. In addition, the sheet roller 50 suffers from interference by peripheral components adjacent to the sheet roller 50.
Further, the conventional sheet roller 50 has a problem in that the elastic sheet 53, having different thicknesses depending on mounting position, design configuration, and the like, is difficult to be mounted to the sheet roller 50. Specifically, since a gap is formed between the coupling groove 51a and the coupling piece 52 in order to allow only the elastic sheet having a predetermined thickness to be interposed between the coupling groove 51a and the coupling piece 52, when a relatively thicker elastic sheet is used, the coupling piece 52 fails to be coupled with the coupling groove 51a. As a result, when an elastic sheet having a different thickness from the predetermined thickness of the elastic sheet 53 is mounted to the roller body 51, a separate roller body and coupling piece are required to be fabricated to correspond to the different thickness.
In addition, the conventional sheet roller 50 has a problem in that, in terms of structural properties, the sheet roller 50 has to be mounted to the rotation shaft 43 in accordance with the order of assembly with components such as the transfer roller, and the like, before the rotation shaft 43 is mounted, and thus deteriorating productivity and workability thereof.
That is, when the sheet roller 50 is pre-assembled or post-assembled in a different order of assembly from the standard order of assembly due to carelessness of a worker, various components having been previously mounted to the rotation shaft 43 are required to be separated/disassembled and then the sheet roller 50 is again required to be mounted.
Also, there occurs an inconvenience in that, in order to replace the sheet roller 50, first, the rotation shaft 43 where the sheet roller 50 is mounted is separated/disassembled from a place where the rotation shaft 43 has been mounted, second, various components mounted to the rotation shaft 43 are separated from the rotation shaft 43, and finally, the sheet roller 50 is replaced.